Political Science 45

Political Science 45

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Political Science 45

Contemporary Europe

Fall 2007
AmherstCollege

Ronald Tiersky

212 Converse Hall 413-542-2355

CONTEMPORARY EUROPE

Europe and Europe’s role in the world order. The so-called Old Continent has always been a mosaic of diversity and particular national problems. But the European Union’s durability shows that in the context of an array of difficult international challenges, European integration is a necessity. Faced with American strategic and economic predominance as well as the economic and foreign policy influence of rising Asian powers and the residual power of Russia, the Europeans cannot stand pat. But what kind of integration is attractive and what kind simply unavoidable? How far doesEuropean integration reach into national European governments and societies? What is the shifting balance of Euro-enthusiasm and Euro-skepticism?Will Europein the twenty-first centuryturn out to be a rising or declining power? And in particular, how can the Europeans deal with their often unpredictable ally, the American Superpower?

Book to purchase: Ronald Tiersky (ed.), EUROPE TODAY, new 3rd. edition (at the Jeffrey Amherst bookstore), and a course multilith in the Political Science office, Clark House 103.

Workload: Three 6-8 page essays during the semester, including participation in a working group on a particular country out of which students will write the second paper.

PART ONE: EUROPE IN THE WORLD ORDER

1. Introduction: Europe 2007

2. Some History: The Cold War from Yalta to Berlin: 1945-1989

3. The Collapse of Communism, 1989-91

4. Europe and the U.S.

5. Europe and the Iraq War

6. Europe and the Middle East

7. Europe and Terrorism

PART TWO: COUNTRIES

8. Britain

9. France

10. Germany

11 Italy

12. Scandinavia

13. Newest Members: TheFormerly Communist States

PART THREE: THE EUROPEAN UNION

14. The traditional “Idea of Europe” and Post-WWII European Integration

15. Should Europe become a “United States of Europe”?

16. European Law and the European Court of Justice (ECJ)

17. The Euro and European Monetary Union (EMU)

18. EU Expansion: from the Original Six to Twenty-Seven Countries

19. Immigration and Political Asylum in the EU

20. Muslim Minorities, Islam and European Cultures

21. Quality of Life: Europe vs. America (1)

22. Same (2)

23. Is the European Union a Democracy? Or why should it be?

24. Identity and Cohesion: Is there a “European People”?

25. Conclusions

SYLLABUS

PART ONE: EUROPE’S ROLE IN THE WORLD ORDER

1. Introduction: Europe 2007

2. The Cold War: From Yalta to Berlin, 1945-1989

Diane Shaver Clemens, YALTA, "The Yalta Agreements," (M)

Debate on "Yalta & the Fate of Poland," NYRB, 1984 (M)

DePorte, pp. vii-xvi and 244-5 (M)

Zbigniew Brzezinski, "The Future of Yalta" (M)

3. The Collapse of Communism, 1989-91

The New York Times, THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM (M)

Fritsch-Bournazel, EUROPE & GERMAN UNIFICATION (excerpts: ) (M)

George H. W. Bush and Brent Scowcroft, "A German Question" (M)

Mikhail Gorbachev, "The Wholeness of Europe" (M)

4. Power and Weakness: Europe and the U.S. in World Order Problems

Robert Kagan, “Power and Weakness” (M)

Pierre Hassner, “The United States: The Empire of Force or the Force of Empire” (M)

5. Europe and the Iraq War

Philip H. Gordon and Jeremy Shapiro, ALLIES AT WAR: AMERICA,

EUROPE, AND THE CRISIS OVER IRAQ, CHS. 3-6 (M)

Peter Riddell, THE UNFULFILLED PRIME MINISTER, ch. 6(M)

The Guardian (London), 2 articles on Tony Blair

6. Europe and the Middle East

Richard Youngs, EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

(Rec.Edward Said, "Zionism from the Point of View of its Victims") (M)

(Rec. Howard Sacher, ISRAEL AND EUROPE (M)

Joseph and Ari Carmi, THE WAR OF WESTERN EUROPE AGAINST ISRAEL, chs. 6-9 (M)

Economist Magazine, “To Israelwith Hate—and Guilt” (M)

7. Europe and Terrorism

Rees and Aldrich, "European and American Approaches to Counter-Terrorism" (M)

Jeremy Shapiro, “The French Experience of Counter-Terrorism” (M)

PART TWO: COUNTRIES AND CLASS PRESENTATIONS

8. France

Ronald Tiersky and Nicolas de Boisgrollier, "France: Hopes and Fears of a

New Generation," EUROPE TODAY

9. Britain

Jonathan Hopkin, "Britain" EUROPE TODAY

10. Germany

HelgaWelsh, "Unified Germany" EUROPE TODAY

11. Italy

Mark Gilbert, "Italy: A Troubled Democracy," EUROPE TODAY

12 Scandinavia

Einhorn and Logue, "Scandinavia: Still the Middle Way?" EUROPE TODAY

13. Newest Members: The Formerly Communist States

Graham Bowley, "The New Member States (2004)" EUROPE TODAY (P)

PART THREE: THE EUROPEAN UNION

14. The “Idea of Europe”

Victor Hugo, “The United States of Europe” (1849) (M)

John Van Oudenauren, “The European Union: From Community to Constitution?" in EUROPE TODAY (P)

David de Giustino, A READER IN EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, pp. 285-90, pp. 22-62 (M)

15. What is the Endpoint of European integration?

Wikipedia, “Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe” (M)

Margaret Thatcher, "The Babel Express," 727-54, 759-63(M)

Joschka Fischer, “From Confederacy to Federation: Thoughts on the Finality of European Integration”

2007: The New Plan for a “mini-constitution”

16. The European Court of Justice and EU Law

Imelda Maher, “EU Law,” EUROPE TODAY

17. The Euro Currency and Its Problems

Wikipedia, “The Euro”

Erik Jones, "European Monetary Union and the Problem of Macroeconomic Governance," EUROPE TODAY

18. What are the Boundaries of Europe? Which Countries Can be Members?

John Van Oudenaren, "EU Enlargement: The Return to Europe" EUROPE TODAY

Wikipedia, “Accession of Turkey to the European Union”

19. Immigration and Political Asylum in the EU

Economist Magazine articles

Euraktiv.com, “Illegal Immigration, Asylum and Border Control”

Jagdish Bhagwati, “International Flows of Humanity,” IN DEFENSE OF

GLOBALIZATION, ch. 14

20. Muslim Minorities and Islam in Europe

Denise Tsai, AmherstCollege Honors Thesis 2007

(Rec: JonathanLaurence, INTEGRATING ISLAM, pp.)

21. Europe vs. America: Quality of Life

Film: “Sicko” (Michael Moore, 2007)

Kurt Loder, “’Sicko’Heavily Doctored”

Alesina and Giavazzi, The Future of Europe, chs. 1, 3, 4 (M)

(re-read, “Scandinavia: Still the Middle Way?” pp. 168-9 and 185-91)

(Rec: T. R. Reid, “The European Social Model” (M)

Rec: Jeremy Rifkin, “Universalizing the European Dream” (M)

22. Are the Europeans anti-American?

Andrei Markovits, Uncouth Nation, chs. 3 and 6 (M)

23. The Future of Europe: Are the Europeans “Europeans”?

Siedentop, Democracy in Europe, pp. 1-34

Joseph J.J. Weiler, "To Be a European Citizen: Eros and Civilization," (M)

24. Film: “The Spanish Apartment”

25. Conclusions

(end)

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